Fresno police chief says gang suppression is reducing violence. Here’s the latest
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said gangs are responsible for most of the violence seen in town in recent memory, saying Friday gang suppression efforts are targeting homicides and shootings.
Fresno has seen 52 homicides in 2021. Last year tallied 74 homicides, a figure not recorded in the city in nearly 25 years.
“If you go back to last year, we had several months from September to December of double-digit homicides,” the chief said.
The Fresno Police Department solved 38% of those 74 homicides from 2020, Balderrama said, noting the rate is “not good.”
He said the department this year sits at 64% solved with several cases pending.
Gang suppression
Balderrama said Friday his officers and special units have worked with law enforcement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to crack down on gang violence.
The most recent example began Thursday morning when officers served a search warrant operation targeting Bulldog gang members, according to Balderrama. Police were looking for guns and evidence related to gun crimes.
Police took two illegal loaded handguns, more than 100 rounds of ammunition, a half-ounce of methamphetamine, and gang-related materials from seven locations.
Officers also made six arrests, though the identities of those arrested were not immediately available. That included three males on parole, one male on probation, and two people who had felony warrants, which included one male and one female.
A gang suppression operation that dates back to Aug. 5 has resulted in 408 arrests, according to Balderrama. That includes 154 felony arrests and the seizure of 63 guns.
“Many people were scared because of several things that happened around the city,” Balderrama said. “They need to know that their police department is doing everything that we can to make this community safe.
“I’m very confident that by the end of the year, we’re going to have a lower crime rate, as far as violent crime,” he said.
